Run to You
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: NHL Washington Capitals: Sequel to YOU FOUND ME. Full Summary inside! When tragedy strikes the Capitals everything falls apart. Things only get worse when they find that the "accident" wasn't really much of an accident.
1. Tragedy

**Full Summary: The Capitals are riding a high coming off the best year of hockey they had ever played. Brooks Laich and Mike Green are married to FBI partners Lauren and Annette and are getting ready to start their families when tragedy strikes the team. One horrific night the team loses one of its veterans and everything falls apart. Leaving behind two orphaned children, the team must come together to pick up the pieces for the kids that their veteran has left behind. Things get worse when they discover the details about what happened that night. Someone is out to get the team and in the worst ways possible. It's up to Lauren and Annette to find and stop the perpetrators before it is too late. **

"So a kid and a Stanley Cup all in one year?" said Brooks Laich as he glanced over at his best friend and fellow teammate, Mike Green.

Mike smiled as he thought about his wife and little boy back home. Brooks had invited Mike to come over to his new house for a guy's night while their wives stayed at Mike's place with little Jackson Green.

"It's been a hell of a year," said Mike as he took a sip of his beer, "I seriously don't think life could get any better than this, man. I mean look at us…we're married, we live in gorgeous homes, we brought the Stanley Cup to DC where it belongs and we live five minutes from each other. God, I love my life!"

Brooks laughed at Mike as stood up to get another beer, "I hear you man…I hear you."

Mike just smiled to himself as he took another swig of his beer. His mind was on his wife and young son back at his house. Even though spending time with Brooks was one of his favorite things in the world, he couldn't wait to get back to them.

Just then, Brooks' cell phone rang. He walked back over to the couch where he and Mike had been for the past few hours watching SportsCenter and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

Mike watched the transformation on his best friend's face. Brooks paled and looked like he was going to be sick as he fumbled to sit down on the couch. A few seconds later, the cell phone slipped out of his hand and hit the floor.

"Brooks? What is it?" asked Mike as he gave his best friend a concerned look, "What's going on?"

Brooks gave Mike a stunned look, "Something…something terrible has happened."

"What? What's going on, Brooks? Who was that?" asked Mike, beginning to look a little panicked himself.

"It was…it was Ovie," stammered Brooks, "He…said that…oh God, Knuble…"

"What about Knuble?" asked Mike, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"Knuble…Knuble's dead," choked Brooks as he put his head in his hands.

Mike froze in shock as he stared at his best friend, "Wh…what? No…that can't be right. He has to be mistaken. Maybe its someone else. We just saw him yesterday!"

Brooks just shook his head, "No…its him Mike…Knuble is gone…"

…

_Two Hours Earlier_

"Hun, you about ready?" called Mike Knuble as he finished adjusting his tie.

For the first time in months he and his wife were taking the night off to enjoy a nice, romantic dinner. They had hired a babysitter to watch the twins for the evening while they were gone.

"Ready when you are!" called Knuble's wife, Kim.

Mike Knuble walked out of the bathroom and gaped in surprise when he saw his wife. She was stunning. She wore a floor-length red gown with a low-cut back and her hair had been done up in curls. In that moment he realized exactly how much he loved this woman.

"Baby, you look amazing," he breathed as he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Kim Knuble laughed as she pulled away from her husband's embrace, "Come on, hun we're going to be late."

Knuble smiled as he took his wife's hand and led her out of their bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. They said goodbye to the babysitter and their two children, Todd and Ashley, and then headed out to the car…

…

Mike Knuble felt like he was the luckiest man in the world as he reached over for his wife's hand while he drove them into downtown D.C. He felt his heart flutter a little when his wife gave his hand a little squeeze and smiled. This woman could still unnerve him even after all these years.

As they crossed an intersection, Mike stepped on the accelerator just a little to beat the light. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced over to the side. He only had a couple seconds to register what was about to happen. The massive pick up truck slammed into the side of his little Honda Civic and Mike Knuble's world slowly faded to black…

…

"What?" shouted Lauren in surprise as she answered her cell phone, "What the hell do you mean, he's…he's gone?"

Annette looked up sharply from where she was preparing another round of margaritas for her and her best friend.

"This can't be right," said Lauren, shaking her head in bewilderment, "Not Mike Knuble…no way. There has to be a mistake…yeah we'll be right over."

"What was that all about?" asked Annette as Lauren ended the call.

"Mike Knuble's been in a horrible accident," said Lauren as she ran a hand through her dark brown hair, "He's in ICU…his wife didn't make it."

Annette's eyes grew wide with shock, "How the hell?"

"They're saying it was a drunk driver who ran a red light," said Lauren as she started to get her things together, "Mike and Brooks are heading to the hospital now. Come on, let's grab Jackson and meet them over there."

Annette nodded as she helped Lauren wake up her one year old son and get him to the car. The two best friends, although in a state of shock, reacted quickly as they prepared to leave. Working for the FBI had helped them learn how to behave and control their emotions in a crisis situation and right now that training was helping out immensely. They peeled out of the driveway and made their way quickly to the hospital, praying that Knuble's injuries were not terribly serious…

…

"This can't be happening," said Nicklas Backstrom as he paced around in the waiting room.

Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Jason Arnott, and Matt Bradley had all arrived and were waiting to hear an update on Mike Knuble's condition. Mike Green and Brooks Laich burst into the waiting room and ran over to their teammates.

"What's going on? Any word?" asked Mike.

Ovechkin shook his head, "Nothing yet…the doctors are operating on him."

"Damn it," muttered Brooks Laich as he put his hands on his hips and joined Backstrom in pacing back and forth in the waiting room.

Mike Green sank down in a chair next to Ovechkin and Semin and shook his head in disbelief.

A few minutes later, Lauren, Annette and Jackson arrived at the hospital. Mike and Brooks immediately went over to them and hugged their wives.

"Anything?" asked Lauren as Mike took Jackson from her arms.

Mike shook his head, "No…he's still in surgery."

Lauren frowned at that as she followed Mike over to the row of chairs and sat down. She rested her head on his shoulder and prayed silently that Mike Knuble would be okay.

Brooks had his arms wrapped around Annette and held her in a silent embrace while they all waited anxiously for the doctors to give them an update.

A few minutes later, one of the doctors emerged from the back. The look on his face told everyone what had happened.

"Oh God, no," said Nicklas Backstrom as he felt his knees go weak. He sunk to the floor and put his head in his hands as he felt a wave of emotion hit him.

Ovechkin and Semin exchanged horrified and disbelieving looks as they waited for the doctor to speak. Mike reached over and held Lauren's hand while Brooks tightened his grip on Annette.

"I'm…so sorry," said the doctor, "He…he didn't pull through."

Backstrom started sobbing and Jason Arnott sat down on the floor next to the young forward. He put an arm around Nicklas and sat in stunned silence as Nicklas mourned the loss of his friend and mentor.

Lauren felt sick as she clutched Mike's hand and wrapped an arm around her son. Mike felt a lump form in his throat as he tried to swallow back the tears. Brooks Laich cried silently with Annette and Alex Semin sat still as a statue in shock.

In that moment their world had turned upside down…

…


	2. Questions

"I want a better explanation than that," snapped Lauren, her eyes blazing as she glared at the federal agent. She, Annette and the young FBI agent were all standing outside of the Kettler Iceplex early the next morning. The FBI had sent out an agent to interview the players to see if they could gather any additional information that could be helpful on the case. So far the feds hadn't come up with anything of any real interest. This left Lauren, Annette and the rest of the team distraught and infuriated.

"That's all we have right now," said the agent, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Please keep in mind that you're talking to two fellow FBI agents," growled Annette, her blue eyes as hard as ice, "We aren't stupid…there's more to this than you're letting on."

"I don't give a damn if you're feds or civies," snarled the agent as he glared at the two infuriated young women, "Either way, I'm the federal agent in charge of this case, you aren't. You're too biased and too emotionally connected to the deceased to have any substantial use to us."

"Why don't you just go to hell…"

"What else do you know?" interrupted Lauren, stopping Annette from unleashing her fury on the cocky agent, "Besides the fact that it was a hit and run, what else do you know? Did you get any prints or DNA evidence?"

"That's not for you to know right now," sneered the agent with a roll of his eyes, "As an FBI agent you should know that that information is on a need to know basis and you two don't need to know shit."

"Go to hell," snarled Annette as she whirled around and stalked back into Kettler.

Lauren glared daggers at the cocky agent for another moment before she turned and followed her best friend back to Kettler.

The agent smirked as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Yeah?"

"I held them off," said the agent in a hushed tone, "They're back in Kettler now, probably crying or something."

"Good…keep them at bay. We can't afford to have two feds stalking around this. Laich and Green _would_ marry feds," snarled the voice on the other end of the line.

"Don't worry about it," replied the fed, "I can throw them off when necessary. You're lucky I got assigned to this case, you'd be screwed otherwise."

"Just shut up and do what I've told you to do. Half the money is on its way. You'll get the rest once we're done with your services."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

…

"What's going to happen with his kids?" asked Nicklas Backstrom, his throat rough from the long night of mourning the loss of his mentor, Mike Knuble.

"They're staying with his sister for now," answered Coach Boudreau, "Until other arrangements can be made…his sister can't take them in because she's so wrapped up in her work."

Lauren looked up sharply and shot a look over at Mike Green. She reached over and grabbed his arm and led him out of the locker room.

"What is it?" asked Mike when he saw the wistful look in Lauren's eyes.

"We should adopt them," said Lauren as she looked in Mike's eyes, trying to gauge his reaction, "I mean…we already have Jackson. I've worked out my hours with the Bureau so I can be home when he gets out of daycare…I can do that with two more. And besides, Knuble's kids are in kindergarten. By the time they get out of school I'll already be home."

Mike's eyes were round with shock, "But, baby what about when I leave? Isn't it already a handful to take care of Jackson when I'm not around and still work?"

"It's not bad," said Lauren, shrugging, "And besides, I'm sure Annette would help me out."

Mike frowned for a moment as he contemplated the idea, "I'm fine with it…I just want to make sure it's the best option for the twins."

Lauren nodded, "Maybe we could propose it to the team and to Coach? See what they say…then ask social services."

Mike nodded as he pulled Lauren into a hug, "For a tough, hard-ass federal agent you have the biggest heart out of anyone I've ever known."

Lauren smirked, "Aside from you of course. Thank you for hearing me out."

"Of course," said Mike as he leaned down and kissed Lauren.

"Okay…let's go ask the boys what they think," said Lauren as she pulled away.

Mike nodded as he reached down for Lauren's hand and led her back to the locker room…

…


	3. Suspicious

Nicklas Backstrom, amidst his grief, looked up with excitement as Lauren and Mike Green proposed that they adopt Mike Knuble's twins.

"It's just a thought," said Lauren as she tried to gauge the team's reaction, "Obviously we'd have to think it through a little more and make sure this is the best option for everyone. We just thought we'd get everyone's opinion…you guys knew Knuble better than anyone else. I trust your judgment."

The locker room grew quiet as the players exchanged glances with one another. Annette and Brooks Laich gave their best friends a startled look. Annette couldn't help but smile a little. Despite her tough exterior, Lauren had always had a bleeding heart. Nicklas Backstrom was the first to break the silence.

"I can't think of anyone else who would be better parents for those two kids," he murmured quietly, "Knuble would be honored to have you raise his kids…he…he'd really…appreciate it…"

Jason Arnott put a comforting arm around Nicklas' shoulders as he looked up at Lauren and Mike Green.

"I agree with Nicky…you two would be the best parents in the world for these kids," said Jason Arnott as he gazed at them, "They're gonna need a lot of guidance and help for these next few months…and I think if anyone can help them get through this you two can."

Lauren was moved by the two players' kind words. She looked around and saw that the rest of the team was nodding in agreement to their proposal.

"I say go for it," said Ovechkin, "You guys already have one kid right? So you know what you're doing."

"I agree," added Tom Poti.

The rest of the team began speaking all at once, voicing their consent. Coach Boudreau called them all back to order.

"I think the boys agree with your decision," he said with a sad smile on his face, "And I believe this is what Mike Knuble would have wanted. Give it some thought, talk to the social service workers and do what you gotta do to make it happen."

"Thanks Coach…guys…it means a lot to us," said Mike Green as he put an arm around Lauren.

"We're gonna need some help," said Lauren as she glanced over at Annette, "When Mike's gone traveling with the team I might need some help with all three of the kids."

"I got your back," said Annette with a smile.

Lauren gave her best friend a grateful smile, "Alright…well I guess all we have to do is make some room at our place for the twins and work on some paperwork."

"Get to it," said Boudreau, "No practice today boys…head home and rest up before the game tonight. There will be a grief counselor here at Kettler for the next several weeks if you guys need anything. See you tonight."

…

Later that evening…

"Ovie, you alright man?" asked Brooks Laich as he looked over at Alex Ovechkin sitting on the bench, "You look like you're going to puke."

"Um, yeah I think I may have food poisoning or something," muttered Alex as he grimaced from the pain, "It's okay I can play through it."

The Capitals were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins that night and were winning two to one late into the second period.

"You sure?" asked Mike Green as he skated over to the bench, "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," said Alex through clenched teeth as he hopped off the bench and onto the rink.

Green and Laich exchanged doubtful looks as they watched their captain skate over toward center ice for the faceoff. Mike Green glanced up into the stands behind the Capitals bench and gave his wife a quick wave. Brooks winked at Annette as he and Mike turned to join Ovechkin at center ice.

"Look at our husbands," said Annette with a proud smile, "They're so hot."

Lauren laughed, "Hell yeah they are. And they're not too shabby in the character area either. I'm telling you Annette I don't know what I'd do without Mike. I can't believe he's so open to the idea of adopting Mike Knuble's kids."

Annette rolled her eyes, "Please that man would jump off a cliff if it made you happy."

Lauren smiled and had to nod in agreement, "Yeah probably…he had no issues signing the paperwork. Not even a moment's hesitation. Looks like we might be able to bring the twins into our place by next week."

"That'll be good…the sooner the better. They need to be somewhere stable right now."

Lauren nodded in agreement as she turned to look out onto the ice. She frowned as she studied Ovechkin. He looked like he was in pain. The second the puck dropped one of the Penguins, Max Talbot, rammed into Ovechkin, knocking him off of his skates. Alex fell hard and stayed on the ground. Lauren's eyes flew open in shock when she realized Alex was convulsing on the ice.

"Oh my gosh…Annette!" shouted Lauren as she stood up and pointed out onto the ice where Ovechkin lay, convulsing uncontrollably.

The referee blew the whistle, stopping the play while Green, Laich, Arnott and Semin rushed to Ovechkin's side. Two trainers hit the ice and ran over to Ovechkin. Soon they had a stretcher out on the ice as the paramedics arrived. They restrained Ovechkin the best they could as they struggled to get him off of the ice.

"What the hell was that?" shouted Annette as she watched Ovechkin being carried out of the rink.

The Capitals were in shock. No one knew what to do at that moment. They stood around on the ice, gaping at one another in disbelief at what they had just seen.

Lauren glanced over at the Penguins half of the rink. She saw Crosby and Malkin give each other smug and victorious smirks as they passed one another. The Penguins coach patted a couple of his players on the back at the bench while they all smiled and gave each other secretive glances.

"What the hell?" murmured Lauren as she watched the Penguins' reaction.

Annette looked over at the Penguins bench and gave them a confused look. She glanced over at Lauren and realized her best friend was already locked onto the Penguins' suspicious reaction.

"You don't think…?" began Annette.

"Oh no…I do think," growled Lauren, "Either they're being stupid assholes and just smiling at our expense or they know exactly what just happened to Alex."

"Judging by that reaction," added Annette as she pointed over to where Crosby was high-fiving Malkin, "I'd say the latter is true…"

…


	4. Drugged

Lauren and Annette maneuvered their way out of the stands and headed toward the Capital's locker room where the trainers and medical crew were securing Ovechkin to a stretcher.

"What the hell happened?" snarled Lauren as she pushed passed them to get a look at Ovechkin.

"We don't know yet," said one of the guys on the medical crew as he strapped Ovechkin down, "Looks like a seizure…caused by what I have no clue."

Lauren and Annette took a good look at Ovechkin while the medical crew lifted him up and headed out where the ambulance was waiting to take him to the hospital.

"What do you think?" asked Lauren as she glanced at Annette, frowning in confusion, "This doesn't sound right…what could have caused that reaction?"

Annette shook her head in bewilderment, still shocked by what had just transpired, "I have no clue…is he on any medications? Any recent injuries?"

"Nothing," replied the Capital's head trainer, looking distraught, "Nothing at all…he's healthy as can be. I have no idea what could have caused this."

While they were speaking, Lauren's eyes grew wide as she began to realize what must have happened, "Oh…my…god."

"What? What is it?" asked Annette, recognizing the look in her partner's eyes.

"The water bottles…get the damn water bottles off that bench now!" screamed Lauren, her eyes wild with panic, "Get all the food and drinks out of this locker room too! NOW!"

It took Annette only a millisecond to comprehend the reason behind Lauren's panic. She remembered the excited look on the Penguin's faces and the little exchange between Crosby and Malkin and instantly realized what had transpired.

"Shit!" she hissed as she raced after Lauren.

"What the hell?" stammered a flustered-looking Neuvirth as Lauren pushed her way past him on the bench.

The rest of the players began to cry out in surprise and confusion as Lauren scrambled around, grabbing all the water bottles off of the bench. She literally took one out Alex Semin's hand, much to his chagrin.

"What's going on?" asked Mike as he reached out and grabbed Lauren's elbow.

"I think Alex was poisoned," said Lauren, her face grave as she and Annette gathered up the bottles.

"Holy shit," murmured Mike Green, paling slightly, "Oh my god…is he gonna live?"

"I don't know…I don't know what this is, but we're going to find out," said Lauren as she glanced nervously around the team, trying to gauge if anyone else was having a reaction.

"Ovie only drinks out of the blue bottle," said Brooks Laich, overhearing Lauren and Mike's conversation, "It's just one of his things."

"Did anyone else drink out of this blue bottle?" shouted Annette as she held it up for them to see.

The players shook their heads, their eyes wide with confusion and fear for their captain.

"Good," said Lauren with a sigh, "Alright, Annette, let's get out of here. We need to get these to the lab and run some tests right away to figure out what did this to Alex."

Lauren gave Mike a quick hug and Annette gave Brooks a kiss before they turned and left. The rest of the Capitals team watched in stunned silence as the two federal agents left the bench. Meanwhile, across the ice, the Penguins circled around like vultures, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they prepared for the puck to drop…

…

Alex Ovechkin woke up, much to his surprise and confusion, in a hospital room. He tried to sit up but his body felt weak and useless. He leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes as he fought a wave of nausea that slammed into him.

"Alex?" asked Lauren as she looked up from where she was typing away at her computer on the other side of the room.

Annette glanced up as well. She was going through an encyclopedia of poisons and other toxins, trying to figure out what was causing all of his symptoms. They had dropped off all the water bottles, including the blue one that Ovechkin always drank from, at the lab and were waiting for the test results to come in. Meanwhile, they opted for doing a little research themselves. The sooner they found out what the toxin was the better for Alex.

"Hey," said Alex in a low, rough voice, "What the hell happened? Did I get hit?"

"You did," said Annette as she and Lauren stood up and walked over to Alex, "After you were hit you collapsed on the ice and started convulsing. The doctors say you had a seizure, but they don't know what caused it. We think…we think there may be some foul play involved."

Alex raised his eyebrows at that, "What? Like…someone drugged me?"

Lauren nodded, "That's what we think. I'm not gonna lie to you Alex…I saw the way the Penguins reacted when you went down…and they were pretty happy about it. Crosby and Malkin high-fived each other."

Alex's eyes took on a dark, dangerous glint as he absorbed what Lauren told him, "They did this to me?"

"We think so," said Annette, "We don't know that for sure, but we have a feeling that they did."

"Assholes," sneered Ovechkin as he glared up at the ceiling, "Why can't they just fight me during a game if they hate me so much? Why drug me? Why try and hurt me?"

"Because they're cowards," said Lauren with disgust, "Cowards who would rather drug you than fight you because they're all pansies."

"And dirty," added Annette, "Aside from Sean Avery, I've never seen a team play dirty hockey the way these guys do."

"Excuse me?" asked the doctor as he slipped into the room, "We have the results from the water bottles that you brought us."

Lauren and Annette instantly moved over closer to the doctor and waited for him to continue.

"I'm afraid your suspicions were correct…it looks like Mr. Ovechkin was drugged. We found a large amount of Valium residue along the bottom and the sides of the blue water bottle. Mr. Ovechkin drank the entire contents of the bottle so he, unfortunately, consumed most of the Valium. The drug is normally used to induce sleep or relieve stress but when consumed in high doses it can cause seizures, nausea and aggressive behavior."

Lauren's eyes hardened with fury as she listened to the doctor's explanation. She glanced over at Annette and noticed that her best friend and partner was equally upset by the news.

"So what does this mean for him?" asked Annette, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, we pumped his stomach so he may feel some discomfort for a few days," said the doctor as he walked over to check on Ovechkin, "He'll need a few days to rest and recuperate from the effects of the drug and get his body into working order again. That hit he sustained seemed to have caused severe bruising on his ribs as well."

Ovechkin rolled his eyes at that one, "I've had worse."

Lauren smirked a little at that as she noted the stubborn look on Ovechkin's face. He hated missing games and knowing that he'd have to miss at least two or three was obviously upsetting him.

"Did we win?" asked Alex as he looked over at Lauren and Annette.

"We left right after you did," said Annette, "But we've been getting the text alerts…"

Annette trailed off as she glanced over at Lauren. They exchanged angered and disappointed looks before Annette continued.

"...Penguins won by five."

Alex cursed loudly and slammed his fist into the bed, "Damn them! They won because they cheated! What the hell?"

"It gets better," said Lauren, seething with anger, "Apparently they knocked Chimera out of the game too…Letang slammed him hard into the boards and Chimera left the ice. Looks like he'll be sitting out for awhile too."

Ovechkin cursed again and started mumbling about his hatred for the Penguins and their "gay captain."

"What's most important right now is that we try to prove that these guys did this to you," said Annette, trying to calm Ovechkin down, "I'm pretty sure they did this but we have no evidence."

"Basically they could have just gotten away with murder," said Lauren, her eyes blazing with rage, "So unless we get a confession out of them or catch them in the act, if they try it again, then we've got nothing."

"Are you two assigned to the case?" asked Alex as he glanced between the two agents.

"I think we just assigned ourselves," said Annette with a slight smirk.

"It's in our jurisdiction anyway," added Lauren, "So yeah, we're assigned to it."

Alex nodded as a smile broke out on his face, "Good…those Penguins don't know what they just got themselves into with you two on the case."

Lauren and Annette couldn't help but laugh a little at that. Just then, Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Alex Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Jason Arnott and John Carlson all poured into the room.

"Alex you okay?"

"You still alive man?"

"I swear I'll kill all of them for this!"

"Which one of them was it?"

"What did they put in the water?"

"We should drug their entire team for this!"

Lauren and Annette moved out of the way as the group of infuriated hockey players surrounded Alex's bed and hounded him with questions. Mike and Brooks stayed with their wives and watched as Ovechkin explained what had happened.

"So..what do we do now?" asked Brooks.

"Nothing," replied Annette, "Lauren and I will handle this case…we'll figure it out, don't worry."

"You guys are on the case?" asked Mike as he glanced down at Lauren.

"We assigned ourselves to it, yes," replied Lauren, "How could we not? I don't trust anyone else with this investigation."

Brooks nodded in agreement as he put an arm around Annette's waste, "Did you two get that paperwork for the twins filed?"

Mike nodded, "Yeah, it's all squared away. Social services is looking through it tomorrow and we should have the twins at our place by the end of the day. They want them in a stable home as soon as possible."

"Good," said Brooks as he patted his best friend on the back, "Can't think of a better place for them to be."

Mike gave his best friend a grateful smile, "Thanks, man."

Lauren gave Mike a hug and a kiss before she turned to Annette, "Okay, let's get out of here. We need to prepare for our little interrogation tomorrow."

"Interrogation?" asked Mike.

"I think we should interrogate the Penguin's right away," replied Lauren, "They'll be in town till tomorrow afternoon. I'll get the permission I need by the end of the night and then Annette and I will pay them a little visit at their hotel."

"Be careful…both of you," said Brooks Laich, "I don't trust them as far as I can throw them."

"We will," said Annette as she gave her husband a hug, "We're trained for this stuff…we got this."

Brooks smirked at his wife's confidence and hugged her back. They said their goodbyes as Lauren and Annette squeezed past the group of players still surrounding Ovechkin's hospital bed and slipped out the door…

…


	5. Answers and More Questions

Lauren and Annette stormed into the Marriot hotel, their eyes blazing with fury as they approached the first desk. They pulled out their badges and slammed them down on the counter.

"FBI, we need you to direct us to where the Pittsburgh Penguins are staying," said Annette as she narrowed her eyes at the lady behind the counter, daring her to object to their demands.

The middle-aged, blonde woman looked startled but nodded in agreement as she quickly grabbed a hotel card from behind the counter and handed it over to them.

"This is the master key," she explained as Lauren took the card from her hand, "It will open any hotel room door…the hockey team is staying on the third floor. Do I need to call security?"

"No," answered Lauren firmly, "We just need to question their coach and a few players. We'll be out of your hair shortly."

The woman nodded and watched the two federal agents march off toward the elevators. Lauren and Annette gave each other an uneasy glance as they waited for the elevator doors to open up. This could get ugly fast…

…

Lauren and Annette exited the elevator cautiously, glancing up and down the hallway as they slipped out of the elevator. Evgeni Malkin emerged from his room and nearly ran right into the federal agents. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized who they were.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, taking a step back, "You're Laich and Green's girls, right?"

"That's right," snarled Annette, "Where's your coach staying?"

Malkin's eyes flitted between Lauren and Annette, suddenly feeling a need to be very cautious, "Uh, why?"

Lauren whipped out her badge, "Malkin, don't screw with us, we aren't in the mood. Where's your coach?"

Malkin swallowed nervously as he pointed down the hall, "Fourth door on the left…what's this all about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," growled Annette.

"Geno, what's going on?" asked Sidney Crosby as he emerged from his hotel room. He scowled at Lauren and Annette as he waited for Malkin to reply.

"Uh, they want to speak with Coach," said Malkin, looking nervous as he watched Lauren and Annette cast one glare in Crosby's direction before heading down the hallway.

Crosby swallowed nervously, "Shit…"

…

"FBI open up!" shouted Lauren as she pounded on the door.

A few seconds later, Dan Bylsma, the Penguins' head coach, opened the door.

"What the hell?" he grumbled as he put on his glasses, "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Do you have any idea how pissed off we are?" countered Lauren, "Stop grumbling and start cooperating."

"We need to ask you a few questions," replied Annette, "We can do it here or downtown, that's up to you."

Coach Bylsma looked annoyed as he stepped aside to let them in, "Here will be fine, thanks," he snapped irritably.

Lauren rolled her eyes at Annette as they exchanged annoyed glances and walked into the room. They settled themselves down in two chairs that were on either side of a desk on the far side of the room. Coach Bylsma sat down on the edge of his bed and rubbed his blood-shot eyes.

"Okay, what?" he snapped.

"Did you or anyone on your team have anything to do with what happened to Alexander Ovechkin tonight?" asked Annette as Lauren pressed a button on the tape recorder they had brought with them.

Coach jumped a little in surprise. His reaction alerted Lauren and Annette to the fact that he must know something. They exchanged a knowing glance as they waited for him to reply.

"Ovechkin? Looked to me like he had a seizure or something," said Bylsma, "You think this had something to do with us? Are you kidding me? You're wasting your time, ladies."

Lauren narrowed her eyes at the coach, "This is a yes or no question, please answer accordingly."

Bylsma glared at Lauren, "No…we had nothing to do with whatever happened to the Capitals' captain."

"Then can you explain to us how large amounts of Valium ended up in Ovechkin's water bottle?" countered Annette.

Lauren noted that the coach swallowed nervously before he replied, "Uh, no…like I said we had nothing to do with this so I guess someone else must have drugged him."

"Really?" asked Annette, "Because I'm pretty sure the only people with access to the locker rooms are the two teams and the managerial staff of the two teams that are playing that night. Security guards are stationed outside the locker rooms to ensure that crazed fans don't find their way back there."

"Well maybe you should question your own team members," snapped Bylsma, "Because the Penguins did nothing wrong."

"Then you won't mind if we question a couple players?" asked Lauren with a coy smile.

Bylsma shot her another glare. He was really beginning to resent this cocky, arrogant federal agent. She was getting under his skin.

"By all means, go right ahead," he said condescendingly.

Annette sneered, "Thank you for your time. We'll be keeping your statements on record for future reference."

Lauren and Annette left the Coach's room and walked back down the hallway. They saw Crosby and Malkin whispering in the hallway. The two players froze when they saw Lauren and Annette.

"Perfect, just the two guys we wanted to speak with," said Lauren as they approached the nervous-looking all-stars, "I call Crosby."

Annette nodded as she handed Lauren one of the tape recorders, "Good, I'll take Malkin."

The agents split up with their selected players and went into their rooms.

Crosby glared at Lauren, "This better not take long…I have other things to do."

"You seemed a little nervous out there," said Lauren, ignoring Crosby's comment, "Everything okay, Sidney? Or would you like to go ahead and confess now?"

Crosby sneered, "To what?"

"To drugging Alexander Ovechkin in the game tonight."

"Oh please," said Crosby as he crossed his arms and sat down on the edge of his bed, "We had nothing to do with that."

"With what?"

Crosby flinched, realizing his slip-up, "With…whatever happened to Ovechkin. So he had a seizure or something right? Why does that mean anyone drugged him?"

"Excessive amounts of Valium were found in his water bottle," countered Lauren, "That good enough for you? Now how did you manage it?"

"What the hell?" snapped Crosby, growing agitated, "I did nothing! This is bullshit!"

"Getting awfully worked up for an innocent man, now aren't you Sidney?"

Crosby gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down as he answered the rest of Lauren's questions.

…

Meanwhile, Annette was in the middle of interrogating Malkin.

"Look, I know there's a lot of anti-Capitals stuff going on," said Malkin, fidgeting nervously, "But I swear to you I had nothing to do with this. There's been a lot of talk in the locker room though."

Annette noticed that Malkin looked away. A look of guilt crossed his face as he contemplated whether or not to continue telling her what he had heard.

"Tell me, Malkin," she pressed, "If you don't divulge the truth then you could very well be implicated as well."

"I just…don't want to be a traitor to my friends, you know?"

"I know…but are they really your friends if you're afraid to tell me the truth?"

Malkin contemplated that, "Well…I've heard some of them talk about ways we can get rid of some of their players. I thought they meant like, in the game…you know, like hard checks and stuff? But I guess it could be taken a different way too. I don't know…but when Ovechkin hit the ice I thought it was from that hit he sustained. I didn't know he'd been drugged."

Annette believed the nervous-looking young player. He obviously didn't want to stab his friends in the back but at the same time he knew that what had happened was wrong.

"So they didn't tell you their plans?" pressed Annette.

Malkin shook his head, "No…Crosby knows I have a bleeding heart. They never tell me when they do some stuff because they know I won't help them."

"Okay," said Annette as she turned off the recorder, "Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you mine and Lauren Green's cell numbers. If you hear anything please let us know okay? We want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible."

Malkin nodded as he took the piece of paper from Annette, "Just…don't tell the guys I'm doing this okay? I mean…they're like brothers to me. I don't want to lose them to this."

Annette nodded, "They won't know anything, I promise."

…

"He agreed?" asked Lauren, looking astonished as she and Annette drove away from the hotel, "Wow…all I got was shit from Crosby."

Annette sneered, "Well considering the fact I think he's guilty that doesn't surprise me. Malkin's legit though…he's telling the truth."

"Good," said Lauren with a sigh, "Hopefully he'll hear something soon. Meanwhile, I gotta get some sleep. Mike and I are picking up the twins tomorrow."

Annette smiled, "That'll be good for them. Let me know if you guys need help."

Lauren nodded as they drove into the night. She felt a wave of stress hit her as she contemplated how the next several weeks would go. Between an investigation on the attempted murder of Ovechkin and trying to raise two more kids on top of the one she already had would mean many long, sleepless nights for her. Not to mention the emotional element of raising the late Mike Knuble's kids…the twins were sure to be traumatized and probably would have difficulty warming up to her and Mike right away. A lot of challenges lay ahead for herself and for Annette, but they'd been through so much already they knew they could get through this too…it just wouldn't be easy…

…


	6. One Step at a Time

"Mike…I don't know if I'm ready for this," said Lauren as she paced anxiously in the waiting room of the social services office in downtown D.C. the next afternoon, "I mean…those kids are going to be traumatized. I don't know if I can handle…dealing with their pain. It hurts enough thinking about how Knuble is…is gone, I just…"

Mike stood up and reached out, pulling his wife into a tight hug when he noticed she was close to breaking down. She hadn't slept hardly at all the past few days since Mike Knuble had passed away and Ovechkin had been hospitalized. After interviewing the Penguins last night she had come home in a terrible mood. She knew they were guilty but they couldn't prove it and it frustrated her to no end.

"Baby, I know," murmured Mike as he held her, "It's not going to be easy…it may be the hardest thing we have ever done, but think about Mike Knuble. Think about how grateful he would be to know that we're going to take care of his kids. We have to do this for him…for the twins. And besides, Brooks and Annette are gonna help us out. It will be okay. The whole team is behind us, we aren't alone in this."

Lauren took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm in Mike's arms, "I know…I guess…I'm just overwhelmed right now."

"You have a lot going on," agreed Mike, "Just remember that's why I'm here…to take some of that load off of your shoulders. I'll always be here for you."

Lauren smiled as she relaxed in Mike's embrace. Mike smiled a little as he felt the tension leave his wife's body. Just then, the door opened and a lady in a business suit walked into the waiting room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Green? You can come on back."

Lauren took a deep breath as she reached out for Mike's hand. Mike gave it a little squeeze as he led the way out of the waiting room…

…

"Okay that should be all," said the woman as Mike and Lauren signed the last of the paperwork, "I'll go get the twins."

Lauren felt a wave of nausea hit her. What if the twins didn't like them? What if they refused to go home with them? They were only eight years old…could they possibly be able to deal with the trauma of losing both their parents? Did they understand the gravity of what was happening here today? Would she be a good enough mother to them?

Before Lauren could ask herself anymore impossibly difficult questions, the door opened and two small children walked shyly into the room. The little girl reached out and clutched her brother's hand as they gazed curiously at Mike and Lauren.

"Hi there," said Lauren as she leaned toward them, "I'm Lauren Green, and this is Mike Green."

"Hey kids," said Mike as he gave them a kind smile.

"You used to play hockey with our dad," stated the boy, Todd as he gazed in awe up at Mike, "Daddy said you were the best defenseman in the world."

Mike felt his throat constrict with pain as he thought about his old mentor and close friend. He swallowed away the emotion and forced himself to remain calm and collected.

"He did, did he?" he asked, forcing a smile, "Well your father was by far one of the best hockey players to ever touch the ice. It was an honor to play with him."

Todd nodded and looked down at the ground, "So…you're gonna be our new mom and dad?"

It took all Lauren had not to burst into tears at that moment, "Yeah something like that…but we could never replace your mom and dad. We are here to take care of you. Your parents meant a lot to us and we want to make sure that you guys are well cared for."

The little girl, Ashley, wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek, "I miss my mommy and daddy," she whimpered.

Lauren couldn't help the emotion that overwhelmed her. She bit her lower lip and tried to stay as calm as possible while she watched Todd try to comfort his sister.

"It's okay, Ashley they're with God now," he explained gently, "We'll see them again one day. But we're gonna have a family again…it's going to be okay, I promise. I'll always take care of you."

Lauren and Mike were astonished by the maturity that Todd exhibited towards his little sister. They would have to rely heavily on Todd in the future to help them take care of his twin sister.

Ashley nodded as she wiped another tear from her face and looked up at Lauren and Mike.

"Would you guys like to go back to our house?" asked Mike, "We can show you your room…and your step brother."

Todd's eyes grew wide with excitement at that, "We have a brother?"

Lauren smiled at that, "Yes, Mike and I have a little boy named Jackson. He's only one though."

"Cool!" said Todd with a smile.

Mike smirked as he looked over at Lauren, "I think I'm gonna like this kid."

Lauren smirked as she watched Mike interact with Todd. After a few minutes they headed out to the parking lot and loaded the kids up in the car.

"Thank you," said Ashley quietly as Lauren buckled her into the seat.

Lauren froze for a moment as she looked at Ashley, "For what sweetheart?"

"For taking us to a new home," she said, barely above a whisper.

Lauren swallowed back the emotion that rose up in her throat.

"You're welcome, hunny. We'll have you home soon. We can go shopping tomorrow and get you some new toys and things for your room if you would like."

Ashley smiled at that, "Okay."

Lauren smiled back as she buckled her in and then climbed into the front seat with Mike. He gave her an encouraging smile and reached over to take her hand. Lauren smiled back as she realized that things really were going to be okay. One step at a time…

…


	7. Kidnapped

_Two Weeks Later…_

Lauren and Annette sat in the stands at the Kettler arena and watched their husbands and the rest of the Capitals practice. Lauren seemed extra fidgety and kept glancing around the rink anxiously.

"What's with you?" asked Annette as she stifled a yawn. She and Brooks had come over to hang out with Mike and Lauren once the twins and Jackson were asleep and they had all stayed up later than they had planned.

"Just wondering why they haven't done anything else," muttered Lauren irritably, "It's been two weeks since they went after Ovie and they haven't done a damn thing. Malkin hasn't been much help either."

"Well maybe that's a good thing," suggested Annette, "Maybe they took a hint when we went to the hotel and practically threatened their lives?"

"Doubt it," muttered Lauren, "It's the freaking Penguins…if anything that should have ticked them off even more. I just don't understand. Malkin should have heard _something_ by now. It just feels wrong. I feel like we're missing something…something big."

Meanwhile, on the ice, Mike frowned as he gazed up into the stands. Lauren had been under a lot of pressure between her job, investigating Ovechkin's poisoning and caring for Knuble's twins. Today though she looked even more distraught and stressed than usual. Something was getting to her and he didn't know what it was or what to do about it.

"Yo, Mike? You with us man?" asked Semin as he skated by.

"Huh? Oh, uh yeah sorry," muttered Mike as he turned his attention back to the practice. Whatever was eating at Lauren he would just have to deal with at another time.

…

Lauren and Annette drove back to Lauren and Mike's place after practice was over. They had both taken the day off of work and pulled the kids out of school. All of them needed a break to just rest and release some tension before continuing with the week.

"Thanks for helping me with the twins, Annette," said Lauren as they climbed out of the car, "Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here. They're handling things well but…sometimes it gets rough."

Annette nodded, "I understand…and of course that's what friends do. You don't need to thank me for that."

Lauren smiled, realizing how lucky she was to have a friend like Annette in her life. They grabbed their bags and headed into the condo.

"Elise?" called Lauren as she stepped inside, looking for the nanny she and Mike had hired to help them out when they were both away at work.

Lauren narrowed her eyes in suspicion when she noted how quiet the condo was.

"Where are the kids?" she murmured, "They should be up by now…it's too quiet."

"Something's not right," agreed Annette as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

"If you stay calm and don't make any sudden movements the kids will be okay," growled a man's voice from behind where Lauren and Annette were standing.

"Shit," cursed Lauren as recognized the all-too-familiar voice.

Sidney Crosby smirked in amusement as he walked into the house. He motioned for someone to follow him and Evgeni Malkin walked in behind him. He shut the door and locked it as he maneuvered to stand in front of the two federal agents. He pulled out something from behind his back and Malkin gaped in surprise.

"Sid what the hell?" he exclaimed as he stared at the glock.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," murmured Crosby, "They figured us out…it wouldn't take much longer for them to figure the rest of it all out."

"What the hell are we going to do with them?" argued a distraught-looking Malkin, "You said we were visiting one of your friends! You didn't say _anything_ about this!"

"That's because I knew you'd over-react," sneered Crosby, "Just do what I tell you to alright? No one's gonna get hurt today."

"I can't be a part of this," said Malkin, "This is insanity! I drew the line after poisoning Ovechkin, you know that!"

"Stitch up that bleeding heart of yours, Geno and make sure the feds aren't armed alright?"

Malkin clenched his teeth as he debated what to do. He knew Crosby had connections that could get him kicked off of the Penguins team if he didn't do what he was told. With a sigh Malkin complied. He would do what Crosby wanted…for now. If things got out of hand however, he would have to back out.

"Fine," he muttered as he frisked the two agents and took both of their weapons from them, "Now what?"

Crosby nodded at the couches, "Take a seat, ladies."

"Where are my kids?" snarled Lauren, her eyes blazing with undisguised fury and hatred.

Crosby smirked in amusement, "They're safe. Take a seat."

"Not until you tell me where the hell you've taken my kids!" shouted Lauren as she took a step toward Crosby.

Crosby raised the gun to Lauren's head and she halted in mid-step, "Easy there agent. Wouldn't want to have to hurt you."

Lauren sneered at that, "Where are they?"

"They're in their room," replied Crosby, "Safe and sound."

Lauren narrowed her eyes at Crosby as she and Annette took a seat on the couches.

"You do realize you won't get away with any of this right?" said Annette with venom in her voice.

Crosby rolled his eyes, "Geno, blindfold them," he said as he tossed Malkin some strips of material, "Once Coach gets here we'll leave."

"Coach?" asked Annette.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Lauren as Malkin blindfolded her.

"Kidnapping you both," said Crosby.

"Why? What do you have to gain from this?" asked Annette, glaring at Malkin as he blindfolded her.

"Leverage…revenge…satisfaction," listed Crosby, "I haven't decided exactly what to do with you both in the long run, but for now kidnapping will suffice."

Malkin looked over at Crosby, his eyes troubled as he noted the sinister look in his friend's eyes. He knew Crosby was hell-bent on eliminating the Capitals this year. It was a disgrace to the Penguins to lose to the Capitals in the Stanley Cup finals and Crosby was beyond pissed about it. But this…this was just taking it too far. Malkin had never anticipated Crosby would take this rivalry to this personal of a level.

"What are we doing about the kids?" asked Malkin as he finished blindfolding the agents.

"Leave them," replied Crosby, "The wives will be enough."

Just then a horn honked outside the condo.

"That's Coach," said Crosby, "Come on…let's get them outta here."

Lauren jerked away when she felt Crosby touch her arm. He grabbed it in a vise-like hold, causing Lauren to grimace in pain.

"Don't resist and everything will be just fine," said Crosby, whispering in her ear.

Lauren sneered in disgust as she turned her head away. Crosby just smirked in amusement as he nodded to Malkin and the two all-stars led Lauren and Annette out of the condo…

…


	8. In It Deep

Lauren was beyond furious…beyond rage. All she wanted to do was rip Sidney Crosby to shreds and run back into the house to check on the kids. She heard Annette curse as Malkin put her into the back of the car.

Coach Bylsma smirked as he nodded at Crosby, "Good work boys."

"Our husbands are going to kick your asses," sneered Annette as she noted the arrogant tone in the Penguin's Coach's voice.

Crosby laughed openly at that, "Please, if they don't do as we say we're going to kill you both. I highly doubt either of your husbands would be willing to risk losing you by doing something quite as stupid as attempting to rescue you."

Lauren felt a cold shiver of fear course through her body as she heard Crosby explain to Annette what was going to happen. What the hell did these guys want from their husbands?

"Kill them?" exclaimed a shell-shocked Evgeni Malkin, "Oh hell no! I didn't sign up for this! We can't kill them! Are you kidding me? This better be some sick screwed up joke, Sid!"

"Shut up Geno," sneered Crosby in disgust at his friend's weakness, "You'll do as you're told too."

Malkin grew quiet in the back seat of the car as he glanced at the two blindfolded women. He had been secretly trying to gather information from his captain and his coach to help the federal agents with their investigation and to help them protect their team, but Crosby and Bylsma had picked up on Malkin's hesitations and nervous ticks the past few days. Since then they hadn't let him in on any of their little gatherings or activities so he had not been able to gather any information. And now here he was, assisting Crosby and Bylsma kidnap and possibly murder Green and Laich's wives. It made him sick to his stomach…

…

"Who's that?" asked Mike Green as he and Laich pulled into the neighborhood where Mike and Lauren lived.

Brooks looked up and saw a white car pulling out of Mike's driveway. He heard Mike gasp in surprise and saw his friend's eyes grow wide with horror.

"Holy shit…its Bylsma! In the driver's seat!"

"What the hell is he doing here?" asked Brooks Laich, suddenly growing anxious.

"I don't know," muttered Mike as he pulled into the driveway and parked the car. He and Brooks jumped out and ran through the front door.

"Lauren? Annette?" called Mike as soon as he ran inside, "Kids? Todd? Jackson? Ashley?"

"Oh god," muttered Brooks as he looked over and saw his wife's bag on the floor. Everything had spilled out of it and lay in a mess in the middle of the floor, "They took them…oh god Mike…they took them!"

"What the hell? How do you know that?" asked Mike as he felt himself begin to shake with fear.

"Do you honestly think Annette would leave her bag like this?" asked Brooks, his voice trembling.

Mike's jaw tightened when he saw the mess on the floor, "No…no she wouldn't."

Just then, they heard what sounded like loud moaning coming from one of the bedrooms. Brooks and Mike glanced at each other briefly before they took off down the hallway and rushed into one of the bedrooms. In the middle of the room the three kids were tied up together and gagged. They all had tears running down their little faces and looked absolutely terrified.

"Oh my god!" shouted Mike as he rushed over and began to untie the ropes. Brooks helped Mike untie the kids and checked them to make sure they were okay.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Mike, his voice shaking as he realized something must have happened to his wife.

"They took Lauren!" shouted Todd, his face red with rage, "They took her! They took our new mom!"

"Who, Todd? Who took Mom?" asked Brooks as he got down on his knees so he could look Todd in the eyes.

"Two guys…one was really mean…the other was kinda scared looking. I don't think he wanted to do this…but that one guy was so mean! He's the one I used to see on TV and Dad…my old dad…used to always say how much he hated him."

Brooks and Mike exchanged a knowing look. There could only be one guy who fit that description…Sidney Crosby.

"Did they say where they were taking them?" asked Mike, shaking uncontrollably now.

"No…but they were writing a note. I think they put it in the kitchen," said Todd as he wiped away a tear with his sleeve.

Mike turned and ran into the kitchen. He sifted through the items on the counter then noticed there was something hanging on the fridge. Mike snatched the piece of paper and opened it up.

_If either of you want to see your beautiful wives ever again you will do what is asked of you. You'll be hearing from us shortly. Keep your phones on and ready._

"I'll kill him," growled Mike as a dark, dangerous glint appeared in his eyes, "I will rip that asshole to shreds!"

Brooks snatched the letter away from Mike and read it. He cursed loudly and started to shake with rage.

"Is Mommy going to be okay?" asked Ashley in a quiet voice as the three kids wandered into the kitchen behind Brooks Laich.

Mike forced himself to remain calm as he turned to face his new daughter, "Yes hunny…I promise you that me and Uncle Brooks are going to do whatever it takes to get them back. We won't stop until they are back home with us again."

Ashley seemed slightly reassured by Mike's words and nodded quietly as she buried her face into her stuffed bear.

Just then the phone rang, startling everyone. Mike glanced over at Brooks before he picked up the receiver.

"Guess we cut it kinda close," said a sickly-familiar voice, "Saw you guys pulling in as we left."

"Where are you taking them you shithole?" snarled Mike with undisguised fury.

"Whoa temper, temper!" said Crosby with a snicker, "Calm down there Greenie, you'll get your wife back. Just as long as you do as you are told."

"What the hell do you want, Crosby?" snarled Mike.

"I want you and your best friend, Brooks, to throw the next few games. The season's almost over and the Caps are struggling to make it to playoffs…well they aren't going to make it to the playoffs this year are they, Mike?"

"Go to hell!"

"Not what I want to hear," said Crosby. The line went quiet for a moment then a shriek of pain made Mike feel sick to his stomach.

"Stop it!" he screamed, "Stop hurting her!"

The screams subsided and Crosby laughed, "That's what I want to hear…now Mike, are the Capitals going to make it to the playoffs?"

Mike was shaking so badly he could barely hold onto the receiver. Brooks had ushered the kids out of the kitchen the second he heard Lauren screaming in the background.

"No…no the Caps won't be in the playoffs," said Mike, close to tears, "I'll make sure of it. Just…please don't hurt my wife."

Crosby smiled to himself, "That-a boy Mike. Have a nice day…we'll be in touch."

…

Lauren gritted her teeth against the pain that wracked her body. She hadn't wanted to cry out…she knew Mike would hear. But the pain had been too much. She could only imagine how bad the burn must be. Bylsma had taken the cigarette he was smoking and given it to Crosby. Crosby had turned and pushed the burning cigarette right into Lauren's leg. It was by far one of the worst feelings Lauren had experienced in her life.

Malkin meanwhile was beyond disgust. He was doing what little he could to comfort Lauren without Crosby and Bylsma noticing. Annette on the other hand resorted to cussing them out and threatening their lives.

"I didn't want this to happen," whispered Malkin in Lauren's ear, "This wasn't my idea…you have to believe me."

"Just get me out of this," murmured Lauren, "Help us."

Malkin swallowed nervously, "I'll do what I can."

Lauren sighed as the worst of the pain subsided. She had to pray that Malkin could do whatever was necessary to get them out of this mess...before things got even more out of hand…

…

Please Review!


	9. Planning the Rescue

"What are we supposed to do now?" asked a dejected looking Brooks Laich as he sat on Mike's couch, his blue eyes clouded over with emotion and fear.

Mike stalked back and forth in the living room, trembling with barely suppressed rage as he replayed Lauren's screams over and over in his mind. He had no idea where they were taking his beloved wife and her best friend…so he was stuck here to pace, worry and pray.

"I don't know," muttered Mike as an overwhelming feeling of despair washed over him, making his knees weak, "I…I don't know…"

…

Lauren and Annette hurled insults at their captors as they were tossed roughly out of the car and into what felt like was a large, empty building.

"Take the blindfolds off," ordered Coach Bylsma, "They don't need them anymore."

Lauren and Annette looked around them as Malkin and Crosby removed their blindfolds. The building was old and looked abandoned. It looked as if it had once been a warehouse or a manufacturing plant of some sort.

"Where the hell are we?" growled Lauren as she cast a dangerous glare in Crosby's direction.

The intensity of the glare made Crosby's skin crawl. He sneered down at Lauren, pretending to just be annoyed with her, "A building. Now shut up or I'll gag you both."

Lauren curled her lip up in disgust as she watched Crosby turn to stalk after his coach. He turned around and addressed Malkin, "You stay here…watch them. If they do anything stupid, call me if you're unable to handle it yourself. We won't be long."

Malkin's jaw tightened at Crosby's taunt and he nodded curtly in reply. Crosby cast one last glare at Lauren and Annette as he turned and followed Bylsma into a smaller adjacent room.

"Evgeni," said Lauren once Crosby and Bylsma were gone, "Where are we?"

Malkin swallowed nervously as he glanced over his shoulder before he replied, "It's the old warehouse downtown…actually not too far from the Verizon Center really. About ten miles away."

"You're going to get us out of this right?" asked Annette as she gave Malkin a suspicious look, "Or are you back with your best friend again?"

Malkin glanced away at that, "Crosby and I haven't been close in a long time…he…he's changed."

"We noticed," sneered Lauren.

"So what's the plan?" pressed Annette, "We may not have much time left till they come back."

Malkin glanced over his shoulder again and saw that Bylsma and Crosby were already opening the door to come back into the warehouse.

"I'll get you out of this," hissed Malkin, "Just…trust me, okay?"

Lauren and Annette exchanged doubtful looks as they watched Crosby and Bylsma approach them.

"Alright let's secure these two for the evening," said Bylsma, "Then we can go out for a celebratory dinner, how's that sound?"

Crosby nodded enthusiastically as he tossed a rope over to Malkin, "Tie them up good, Evgeni. I brought the gags too…so they won't try and yell for help."

Lauren growled low in her throat at the very thought of being gagged. Crosby just smiled in amusement at her as Malkin moved to tie up Annette. Crosby leaned down close to Lauren and ran his fingers along her jawline. He studied her for a long moment and licked his lips.

"You know…it's a shame you're married to a Caps player," he murmured quietly, "We coulda had some fun."

Lauren nearly laughed at that, "Even if I wasn't you wouldn't have a shot with me," she sneered.

Crosby smiled a little at that, "Just know that if I want you…I can have you now, can't I?" he asked as he fingered the ropes that held Lauren's hands behind her back.

Lauren felt a wave of nausea overwhelm her as Crosby continued to flirt with her. Malkin looked equally disgusted by the sight but forced himself to not react.

"Alright, let's go boys," said Bylsma once the two women were properly tied up and gagged.

Crosby cast one more lustful glance in Lauren's direction before he turned to walk out with his Coach and Malkin. Malkin glanced back at the two women and gave them a reassuring look. He knew now that he had to do something to help them…he couldn't let Crosby and Bylsma get away with this. Even if it meant turning his back on his own team, Malkin knew he had to do the right thing…no matter what the cost…

…

Later that night, Mike Green's phone rang. He and Brooks Laich were still pacing about the house, trying to figure out what to do. They had contemplated calling the police but hesitated for fear that that would incite Crosby to go ahead and kill their wives. He had told them if they took any action to rescue them or to try and be heroes in any way then they would never see their wives again.

Mike snatched up his phone and froze when he saw who was calling him. He swallowed nervously as he answered, "Hello?"

"Mike? Mike Green?" asked a man in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, what do you want, Malkin?" said Mike coldly.

Brooks Laich stood up from the couch when he heard that it was Malkin. He moved over toward Mike so he could hear the conversation.

"Look, I don't have much time…I just wanted to tell you where they have your wives."

"And why should I believe you?" snarled Mike, "How do I know you're not just sending me into an ambush or a trap? You're one of them."

"No…not anymore," said Malkin with determination in his voice, "I can't have any part of this…it goes against everything I believe in and stand for. I won't do it…now please, just listen to me. They are in the old abandoned warehouse downtown…ten miles south of the Verizon Center. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, yeah I know where it is," said Mike as he pictured the building in his mind.

"Okay, they're in the main room tied up to chairs and gagged so if you were to try and rescue them just know you may not be able to hear them. The main switch for the lights is next to the side door on the right. I cut the security camera wires before I left, so you won't have to worry about that. Just be careful…I know they're sending in people to check on them once in a while…kind of like night shifts. Crosby and I have the shift from 3 to 4 this morning. If you choose to make a move then, know that I am on your side and will do whatever I can to help you."

Mike and Brooks exchanged shocked looks before Mike replied.

"Alright…but I swear to god Malkin if this is some sort of trap…I will come after you."

"Understood…see you in a couple hours," said Malkin as he ended the call.

"We're going right?" asked Brooks, "Cause I sure as hell am going."

"Yeah we're going," replied Mike with a sigh, "Call Semin and Arnott…get them to come over and watch the kids. I don't want a repeat of what happened earlier."

Brooks nodded as he went to make the calls. Mike, meanwhile, went into his room and began to change his clothes. He grabbed a bottle of eye-black he and his teammates had used for the Winter Classic game earlier that season. There was enough left for him and Brooks to cover their faces. Saying a silent prayer, Mike headed back out into the living room to prepare to rescue his wife…

...

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	10. Bring in the Calvary

Lauren glanced back over at Annette. It had been about three hours since Crosby, Malkin and Coach Bylsma had left them alone in the warehouse. Every half hour or so one of the members of the Penguins team would come in and check the ties and the gags and then leave. Each time they turned the lights back off so that they could barely see each other in the dark, dank building.

They were both beginning to doubt Malkin. He had claimed he would do something to get them out of there…but it had been over three hours. They both assumed he had chickened out or Crosby and Bylsma had caught on to him and stopped whatever it was he was planning. Either way, Lauren and Annette were on their own. The most despairing part of the whole ordeal was the fact that their husbands had no idea where they were…no one did for that matter. There would be no rescue team rushing in to save them…there would be no police, no friends, no family coming for them. It was up to their husbands now to hold up their part of the bargain.

The very thought of the bargain infuriated Lauren. She clenched down on the gag and suppressed a growl of frustration. The Capitals were looking to get their second Stanley Cup this season. Although the regular season had been a little more rough than usual, the team was finally back to where they needed to be and were just a couple games away from a secure spot in the playoffs. Now Crosby was going to ruin all of that.

Just then, as if on cue, the warehouse door swung open and Crosby sauntered inside. His cocky smile and arrogant gait made Lauren want to punch him in the face. What was worse, however, was the creepy way he looked her up and down and bit his lower lip. She shivered with dread as she thought about what he could get away with now if he wanted to.

Malkin walked hesitantly into the warehouse behind Crosby and Lauren breathed a slight sigh of relief. Malkin at least seemed to have some morals about him…she doubted Crosby would do much with Malkin around.

"Hey there beautiful," crooned Crosby as he leaned down and put his face close to Lauren's, "How are you doing sweetheart?"

Lauren glared daggers at Crosby. She wished desperately that her hands were free. She'd love to show this asshole what she was capable of.

Annette growled angrily as she glared at Crosby as he checked out her best friend. The audacity of this man was unbelievable. Annette glanced over at Malkin and motioned for him to do something about Crosby. Malkin just shrugged sadly as he glanced over and grimaced in disgust at the sight. Crosby was stroking Lauren's hair and saying something in her ear.

"Can we not molest them, Sid?" he said after a moment.

"Go screw yourself," snarled Crosby as he stood to face Malkin, "Or her," he added gesturing towards Annette, "But I call this one…Green's girl. She's mine."

Lauren shifted her weight hard, causing the chair to move about a foot away from Crosby as he bent down towards her again. This seemed to infuriate Crosby. He grabbed the chair and pulled her up against him as he ripped the gag out of her mouth. Lauren gasped as the gag was removed and Crosby leaned in and kissed her roughly on the mouth.

Annette screamed through her gag as she tugged at the ropes that cut into her wrists. She felt the tears spring to her eyes as the rope burned her wrist, but she kept tugging in a vain attempt to save her friend from Crosby's attack.

"Sid!" shouted Malkin in disgust, "Dude what the hell?"

Crosby was oblivious to Malkin's exclamation as he kissed a very-unwilling Lauren. He reached up and grabbed the bottom hem of her shirt and began to lift it when suddenly he found himself flying across the warehouse. He landed hard on the cement and cried out in pain and shock. He rolled over to see who had attacked him and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Green?" he choked out, his voice raising an octave in terror as he noted the absolute infuriated, dangerous glint in Mike's eyes.

"Mike!" shouted Lauren in relief.

"Hey baby," said Mike as he rushed to her side and began to untie her, "Are you okay? Oh, hun I'm so sorry…so sorry."

Brooks Laich had rushed in right behind Mike and was now busy untying Annette and removing her gag. Both Capitals players were too engrossed in their wives to realize that Crosby had gotten back up off the ground. With a look of absolute fury in his eyes, Crosby grabbed a metal pipe lying on the floor and rushed toward Mike Green.

"Mike!" screeched Lauren as she saw Crosby approach.

Mike whirled around but Crosby had already been knocked back down to the ground. Mike stared in astonishment as Malkin descended upon his friend in a flurry of fists. In just a few seconds, Crosby was subdued and moaning on the ground. Malkin stood, gave his old friend a kick in the gut for good measure, and turned to face Mike.

"You okay?" he asked.

Mike nodded, one eyebrow raised in disbelief, "Uh…yeah, man….thanks."

Malkin nodded, "I told you I'd help."

Brooks Laich walked over and grabbed Malkin's hand, pulling him into a hug, "Thanks, man…we couldn't have done it without you."

Malkin smiled a little, "Well…I'm just glad everyone's okay."

"Let's get the hell out of here," said Mike as he held Lauren in his arms, "Before I end up killing Crosby for touching my wife."

Mike cast a look of absolute hatred in Crosby's direction and smiled coldly when he saw that Crosby was bleeding from his nose and mouth and was unable to stand.

"Good idea," agreed Brooks as he noted the look on his best friend's face, "I'd hate to have to bust you outta jail."

"Need a ride outta here, Malkin?" asked Green as they turned to leave.

Malkin nodded, "Um, yeah I think that'd be a good idea…Bylsma's got the next shift and he's gonna be pissed when he sees Sid like this and the girls gone."

Lauren smiled kindly at Malkin, "Thanks Evgeni…we owe you one."

Malkin shrugged, "Don't mention it…let's just get the hell out of here before anyone shows up to check in."

Together, the three hockey players and the two federal agents ran out of the building, climbed into Brooks' car and raced out of the parking lot…

…

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	11. Afterwards

_Afterwards…_

Todd, Jackson and Ashley raced through the house chasing each other, much to Lauren's amusement. It had been three weeks since the incident in the warehouse had occurred and the kids were finally starting to relax and behave like kids again. Once they found out that Sidney Crosby and the entire Penguins team including their coach had been arrested and were awaiting trial, they knew the bad guys were not going to hurt their family ever again.

Just then, a knock on the door startled Lauren from her reverie.

"Hey girl!" said Annette as she walked in with a big smile on her face.

"Hey! How are you?"

"Good! You guys almost ready?"

Todd raced by and knocked over a vase. It crashed to the ground in a million little slivers. Lauren just closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Yeah…give me two minutes to clean that up."

Annette tried to suppress an amused laugh as she watched Lauren turn to grab a broom.

"Sorry Mom!" shouted Todd as he raced after his sister and Jackson.

Lauren just smirked and shook her head as she cleaned up the mess, "At least they're happy," she said quietly to Annette, "I was so worried about Todd and Ashley…they seem to be recovering well from their parents' accident. The child therapist has been a miracle worker."

After Lauren cleaned up the mess she called out to the kids, "Alright guys! Load up! It's time to go watch Daddy and Uncle Brooks practice!"

Instantly the kids forgot the game they were playing and cheered as they raced outside toward the car.

Lauren just shook her head, "If only I had that kind of energy…"

Annette laughed at her friend as they left the house and headed out to meet the kids at the car.

…

"Alright boys!" announced Coach Boudreau as he entered the locker room at the Kettler Iceplex, "Gather around, I have an announcement to make!"

The Capitals grew quiet as they all found seats on the benches and waited for their coach to continue.

"As you are all well aware, the vast majority of the Penguins team and their management have been placed under arrest. Because of this, the team has had to forfeit this season. However they had one player who I believe got the short end of the stick because of all this. We have a need for another winger as well and management agreed. So starting today Evgeni Malkin will be playing for the Washington Capitals."

Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin and Semyon Varlamov all cheered excitedly as Boudreau made the announcement. Green and Laich were glad to hear that their new found friend was going to be on their team and the Russians were all just happy to have another Russian on board.

"We are like Russian Mafia!" announced Ovechkin excitedly.

Semin and Varlamov high-fived as they began to ramble off in Russian, much to the rest of the team's amusement.

"So make him feel welcome!" shouted Boudreau over his team's cheers and yelling, "And get your butts out on the ice! We have work to do!"

The team finished suiting up and hit the ice. After a few warm-up drills, Evgeni Malkin made his first appearance as a Washington Capital. He came out of the locker room sporting his new red game jersey with his name emblazoned on the back and a huge smile on his face. The Capitals all cheered excitedly as Malkin skated over toward them. Brooks Laich and Mike Green skated over and gave him hugs and pats on the back.

"Welcome aboard Evgeni!" shouted Mike just as Ovechkin raced over and nearly bowled poor Malkin over.

Malkin laughed at Ovechkin's exuberance as he hugged his old friend. They had played together in the Olympics and learned that they not only played well together but got along really well. It was nice to see some friendly faces on Malkin's new team.

"This is freaking awesome," said John Carlson as he shifted his weight from one skate to another, "We are gonna be unstoppable with Malkin…we're so getting another Stanley!"

Jason Arnott laughed at the young rookie, "We were unstoppable without Malkin…now it's just gonna be that much harder for the rest of the league to beat us. Vancouver be damned."

Meanwhile, up in the stands, Lauren and Annette were both standing and cheering as they saw Malkin come out of the locker room with a Caps jersey on. They were both ecstatic to see their hero on the Capitals team. It was the perfect ending to a long, painful journey for the Washington Capitals. Losing Mike Knuble had rocked the team to its core and then Ovechkin's near fatality scared them all the more. Now the guys responsible were all sitting in jail awaiting trial and the Capitals had acquired not only an amazing hockey player, but also an amazing, loyal friend. Now they were ready to head down the long road of healing…together the Capitals would pull through stronger than ever before…the team would draw closer together and depend on one another like never before…..and they would go on to win their second Stanley Cup.

…

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And as always…LET'S GO CAPS!


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